Derek Carr future with the New Orleans Saints is up in the air and should be decided soon. He isn’t willing to take a pay cut and there’s a good chance he would opt to not waive his no-trade clause unless a great situation arises.
The problem is if it’s clear the New Orleans Saints are going to get rid of Carr regardless, teams may be reluctant to trade for Carr. The Saints were in the same situation two years ago when Carr left the Las Vegas Raiders.
However, do not expect a reluctant trade market to translate to a reluctant market if Carr becomes a free agent.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported he “would expect interest from multiple teams out there,” if Carr hits the open market.
Saints fans may be completely out on Carr, but he is deserving of pursuit. Additionally, like Garafolo said, “there’s not a lot of great options both in free agency and the draft.”
If Carr leaves New Orleans, it’ll be interesting to see what type of situation he lands in.
Would he land in a situation like Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh, with a team looking for a quarterback to raise their ceiling? Could a team who drafts a quarterback but doesn’t want him to start immediately look to Carr to start in the interim? With the less than favorable state of the the 2025 quarterback class, teams will look for a veteran to simply get them through next season.
There are multiple options for Carr, but his days of being viewed as a long-term answer are likely over as he turns 34 before the season starts this fall.